With Jakob Azazel and Akira Kobayashi already in the ring Dante Cross walks around outside, looking at the Cruiser-X championship belt hanging over the ring. Azazel tries getting Akira to participate in a card trick, but either due to the language barrier or Akira simply not enjoying magic it goes nowhere. Ryu Sanu, too, doesn't go for it, and Azazel is forced to give up and resorts to turning the pack of cards into a pair of white doves, which do a circle around the hanging belt before flying off intothe rafters. Dante passes by ladders and tables set-up or laid down outside the ring, grabbing a steel chair and tossing it over the top rope into the ring. Senior official Ryu Sanu barely manages to avoid the flying weapon and starts to yell at Dante to get into the ring so he can call for the bell, provoking The Crucifixionist to pick up two more chairs and toss them into the ring. Jakob Azazel remains calmly leaned against the corner, while Akira Kobayashi decides to exit the ring after Dante's third chair came very close to hitting him as it sailed through the air. Dante takes off running, putting some ground between himself and Akira before hopping up onto the apron, trying to toy with Akira and avoid a head on confrontation, possibly due to the result of their recent match. As Dante tries to climb into the ring Jakob Azazel hits him with a dropkick, sending him off the apron and down to the floor at Akira's feet as Ryu Sanu calls for the bell to be rung, officially starting the match. Akira pulls Dante up by his hair and tosses him into the crowd barricade, causing the fans to cheer wildly. Akira lays in a trio of kicks to Dante's chest and then drags him up off the barricade, turning back to the ring. The two men on the outside come to face the ropes just in time to see Jakob Azazel go up and over with a springboard crossbody taking out both opponents in one move! The crowd goes wild and starts to chant for Azazel, who manages to get up fairly quickly and throw up an arm in celebration before grabbing a ladder. XWA's resident warlock slides the sizable piece of equipment in under the bottom rope and then goes in after it, looking to end the match quickly. He manages to get the ladder upright, but in his haste to set it up doesn't spot Akira recovering and sliding into the ring. By the time Jakob can get a foot onto the bottom rung of the ladder Akira gets behind him and drives a forearm into the back of his head, halting his attempt to climb to the belt. Jakob tries to come back down off the ladder under his own power but quickly gets brought down to the canvas by Akira Kobayashi, who drives a series of elbows down into the back of his neck.

Cedar: For a man in a Cruiser-X Division title match, Akira Kobayashi's offence isn't what you'd call high risk.

Miles: Yeah, he's a bit of a pussy, isn't he?

Akira pulls Jakob back to his feet and shoves him into the corner, where he proceeds to unleash a hailstorm of forearms directed at his opponents temple until Jakob is forced to fall down into the turnbuckle to defend himself. With Akira distracted and Jakob busy getting hit in the face, Dante Cross finds himself with a clear path up to the belt. He slithers into the ring and starts to climb the ladder, provoking a hailstorm of boos from the crowd who're clearly not particularly fond of Dante Cross. Realizing what's happening Jakob throws up a boot, hitting Akira in the gut and pushing him back. Jakob reaches up, grabbing the top ropes and using them to pull himself up onto the second rope. With Akira stood between himself and the ladder, which Dante is busy climbing, Jakob launches himself forward and lands a missile dropkick on Akira's chest. The impact of the move sends Akira stumbling back so far that he bumps into the ladder, knocking it over. Dante Cross manages to land on his feet as he falls off the ladder while Akira falls down to the mat, ending up in his hands and knees as he tries to recover. The ladder hits the ropes while still set-up and then falls down, folding back up as it hits the mat. With Jakob still recovering from his flying dropkick Dante gets a chance to take out his frustrations,  running at Akira and nailing him in the side of the head with a low dropkick. The Black Heart Warrior yells out in pain and rolls out of the ring, leaving the two more agile men alone in the ring. Jakob rises to his feet and comes to face Dante, who smirks at him before turning and running at the ropes for speed. As Dante rebounds Jakob low bridges, allowing Dante to jump over him, then rolls onto his back with his head towards Dante and puts his legs up. Taken off guard by the move Dante is forced to leap over Jakob, who then rolls forward up to his feet. Dante's landing is anything but smooth as he ends up running chest first into the ropes, leaving his back open for Jakob to grab him and pull him back looking for a German suplex. The two tustle back and forth as the crowd cheers on Jakob, who uses the energy of the fans to motivate himself into falling back and throwing his opponent over. The suplex doesn't quite work, however, as Dante Cross manages to perform a full backflip and land on his feet to a mix of boos and awe inspired applause.

Miles: Y'know, some people are so caught up in hating Dante Cross that they forget the man's athletic as all hell!

Jakob Azazel gets up from the German and receives a Return to Sin Kick for his troubles, knocking him dizzy. Dante watches Jakob stagger backwards a few steps and then hits the ropes, looking to get some speed. Dante raises up his arm for a clotheslines, but he's rudely interrupted by karma when Jakob reaches down, grabs one of the chairs Dante had thrown into the ring off the mat, and tosses it at Dante. The steel chair rings out loudly as it ricochets off of Dante's skull, stopping him in his tracks and making The Crucifixionist collapse face down onto the mat. Jakob Azazel smirks and walks past Dante, yelling out "TELEKINESIS!" as he starts towards the ladder. Before Azazel can grab the ladder he spots Akira Kobayashi climbing back into the ring and heads towards him. Akira gets into the ring and instinctively throws an elbow at his oncoming opponent, who ducks under it and goes behind. For the second time in the match Jakob Azazel goes for a German suplex, but The Last Warlord of Osaka proves to be a hard man to move. After holding his ground for a few seconds Akira throws an elbow back, hitting Jakob in the side of the head and breaking his rear waist lock. Akira turns and elbows Jakob back to the ropes before whipping him across the ring. On the rebound Jakob ducks under Akira's attempted lariat and hits the ropes, allowing him to hit the set of ropes behind Akira, come back, and leap up into a hurricanrana which sends The Pacific Rim Nightmare spilling across the ring and out to the floor. Jakob kips up back onto his feet, causing the crowd to explode and chant "AZ-A-ZEL!" at the top of their lungs. Jakob stalks Dante Cross as the latter gets up to one knee, holding his head as he tries to piece together what's going on. Jakob runs at the ropes in front of Dante, rebounds, steps up onto Dante's knee and hits the Shimmering Sorcerer, a step-up yakuza kick. Dante drops onto the mat and rolls outside the ring, followed by Jakob. Jakob shoves Dante back first into a table set-up at ring-side and then grabs his legs, trying to push his opponent up onto the table itself. Dante struggles and manages to hold off Jakob until Akira Kobayashi runs in, nailing Jakob with a yakuza kick with such force that it flips The Heir of Empty Breath over onto his face. Before Dante has time to recover or escape Akira twists around, throwing out an elbow which drills Dante on the side of the head and slumps him down against the table.

Cedar: A vicious strike combo from The Last Warlord of Osaka!

With Dante struggling to stay on his feet Akira sticks to his bread and butter - backhand chops that light up Dante's chest the colour of uncooked meat. After taking a handful of chops Dante fights back, throwing an elbow that catches Akira in the jaw and forces him back towards the apron. Both men stop to catch a breather for the first time since the match started, and promptly get denied by Jakob Azazel launching himself towards his opponents with a pair of flying kicks, planting a boot into the side of both opponents head. Again Dante sprawls over the wooden table, while Akira manages to make his way away from his opponents and around to the other side of the ring. Jakob gets up to his feet, raises an arm to play to the crowd, and then waits for Dante Cross to pull himself up as Akira Kobayashi leans against a ladder and watches from afar, holding the side of his head. Dante removes his head from on top of the table, and promptly nearly has it removed from his shoulders as Jakob drills him with a super kick. Dante collapses back down, and this time Jakob Azazel has no problem hoisting him up onto the wooden table before he rolls into the ring, causing every fan in attendance to rise out of their seat in anticipation. Jakob ascends up the turnbuckle, looking down to the floor where Dante is laid up on a table, and then out to the sea of fans chanting for him. Before Jakob can take the leap from the turnbuckle Akira Kobayashi jumps up onto the apron to the side of him and elbows him in the side of the head, sparking a few boos from disappointed fans. Akira throws a few more elbows as he climbs up, meeting Jakob on the top turnbuckle. Despite his size, The Warlock has no chance in a striking battle against The Black Heart Warrior, an quickly finds himself forced down onto the second rope. Akira throws elbows down at Jakob, his back to the outside of the ring where Dante Cross has managed to somewhat recover and climb off of the table. While Akira stands on the top rope, trying to hook Jakob up for a move, Dante grabs a chair from the nearby time keepers area and throws it from down at ringside up at his opponents, nailing Akira in the head and causing him to stop throwing strikes at Jakob. Akira starts to teeter back off the top rope, forcing him to grab Jakob and pull him up to his feet. With his two opponents stood on the top rope Dante rolls into the ring, grabbing the ladder that's still folded up on the canvas. He raises it up over his shoulder and charges, aiming to use it as a battering ram. Seeing Dante running in Akira dives off of the top rope down onto the apron, narrowly getting out of the way. Jakob Azazel, on the other hand, doesn't have time to react. The top of the ladder cracks off of Jakob's skull with a sickening thud, causing him to fly backwards off the top turnbuckle and through the table set-up on the outside, splitting it in
half.

Cedar: JESUS CHRIST!

The crowd quickly starts a "holy shit" chant as Dante Cross's lips form a sadistic smile and Jakob Azazel's body starts to twitch and contort. Akira Kobayashi looks down from the apron at Jakob, holding onto the middle rope so tightly it looks like he's worried he'll collapse onto the floor. Jakob's nose starts to bleed as a ring-side doctor starts to check on him. After a moments pause Dante holds the ladder lower and aims to hit Akira off the apron, which The Black Heart Warrior barely avoids by jumping off the apron and then sliding back into the ring. Dante Cross quickly tosses the ladder at Akira, forcing him to catch it. Dante quickly follows up with a dropkick, driving the ladder back into Akira's chest and knocking him down onto his knees. Akira drops the ladder, giving Dante a clear opening to hit a picture perfect enziguri. The crowd boos as Dante rolls Akira out of the way and grabs the ladder, pulling it upright and struggling to set it up due to being completely out of breath after the rush of action. After a few seconds the ladder clicks into place and Dante starts climbing, taking each step carefully. He reaches the top of the ladder and looks up at the shiny gold title belt, only to feel the ladder start to shake beneath him. Dante reaches up, but finds the ladder is shaking too much for him to be able to grasp the title. Dante looks down to see that Akira Kobayashi has crawled to the bottom of the ladder and is now rattling it, trying to put Dante off balance. Angrily, Dante drops down off of the ladder and kicks Akira in the face, knocking him back down to the canvas. Akira hurriedly tries to pull himself up, holding his face as he gets back up to two feet and wildly throws a slap at Dante. The strike misses by a fair distance, and gives Dante chance to boot Akira in the stomach and double him over. Dante grabs Akira and hoists him up in position for a powerbomb. After pausing for a few seconds Dante jumps and falls onto his back while throwing up his knees, driving them into Akira's back as he comes down to complete Hell Bound! Akira rolls around on the mat like he's on fire and trying to put it out as Dante Cross sits down by the ladder, cackling at his two opponents. Jakob is still laid outside the ring, having barely moved since being throws down to the floor. Dante rolls out of the ring and grabs a second ladder which he slides into the ring, leaving the first ladder set-up in the centre of the ring. Akira starts to crawl to the corner, so Dante steps over him and drives the ladder down into his back. Akira drops down flat to the mat and yells out in pain as the cold steel cracks against his spine, followed by a second crack as Dante lifts the ladder up and slams it back down. This time Akira is unable to yell out in pain thanks to all the air having been squeezed out of his lungs by the repeated blows to his torso, and instead he has to settle for rolling onto his side to try and protect his spine from more damage.

Cedar: Dante Cross is firmly in control of this contest, and I'd be surprised if we see any more of Jakob Azazel in this one.

The crowd is almost silent at this point thanks to Dante Cross's slow, deliberate, sadistic approach. The Crucifixionist grabs his ladder and lays it so the top half is out of the ring, while the mid section is on the middle rope and the legs are still in the ring touching the mat like a seesaw. With the ladder set-up on the ropes Dante grabs Akira by the hair, pulling him up to his feet again and taking a moment to mockingly slap him across the face, taunting his prey. Wit Akira in too much pain to fight back Dante pulls him over to the bottom rungs of the ladder before drop toeholding down face first into the steel steps, making The Black Heart Warrior's face collide with them hard enough to make his whole body go limp for a few seconds. With Akira face down in the ladder Dante Cross makes his way to the other ladder in the centre of the ring, seemingly looking to climb it. He puts a foot on the bottom rung, but before he gets any higher a smirk spreads across The Crucifixionists lips. Slowly Dante steps down and shimmies the ladder away from the centre of the ring, leaving space behind Akira for Dante to run the ropes. The Pacific Rim Nightmare starts trying to get up, pushing his hands into the mat to force his body up, as Dante sprints to the ropes behind him to pick up speed. When he runs back Dante runs to the left side of Akira, grabs the top rope with his right hand and vault over while grasping the portion of the ladder on the outside of the ring, pulling it down and causing the end on the inside of the ring to pop up and once again force Akira's face to meet cruel, unforgiving steel at high speeds. The impact between his head and the ladder acts like a jolt of electricity, making Akira pop up back to his feet while clutching his head, stumbling around the ring like a lost child, the ladder still hanging in the ropes. Dante Cross calmly climbs up onto the ring apron, taking a second to ensure that Jakob Azazel is still laid in a heap in the wreckage of the table outside of the ring, and then leaps over the ropes back into the ring. While going over the ropes Dante twists half way around, lands with two feet on the middle rope, and then pulls out as crisp a backflip you'll ever see, catching Akira in a reverse DDT as he goes over to nail his patented DDC. The back of Akira's head bounces off the mat with a dull thud, and at this point the crowd can barely muster up the will to boo Dante Cross. Dante grabs the ladder again, yanking it out of the ropes. Instead of moving the original ladder back into position, Dante chooses to set-up the second ladder, ensuring that it's directly beneath the hanging Cruiser-X Championship belt. Dante starts to climb up, only stopping halfway to look down to his left side at the prone, motionless Akira Kobayashi. He reaches the top and reaches up to grab the belt when he is distracted by the sound of the crowd exploding in a sea of cheers. With one hand on the belt Dante looks down to see Jakob Azazel stood beneath him, clutching a chair with both hands as a trail of blood runs down his face.

Cedar: JAKOB AZAZEL'S STILL IN THIS!

Miles: God damnit I'm tired of that shit head and his magic! KILL HIM DANTE!

Jakob swings the chair at the legs of Dante, who instinctively kicks the hanging limbs out of the way, knocking the ladder he was on off balance and tumbling down to the mat. Dante hangs by one hand over the ring precariously as Jakob stands below, still holding the chair. The crowd cheers on Jakob to take down Dante, begging for him to get some revenge and go on to win the match. Jakob looks at the ladder which is still set-up, and after a moment of pondering shrugs, looks up at Dante, and tosses the chair in his hands as hard as he can up at his opponent. The chair cracks against Dante's ribs, causing him to lose his grip and fall back down into the ring and onto his feet. Dante stumbles backwards past the upright ladder, throwing up one hand to beg-off as he uses the other to hold his ribs. Wincing in pain Dante drops down to one knee, something he pays for when Jakob charges in, steps up, and nails him with a shining wizard. Dante's head whips back as he collapses down to the canvas before rolling out to the floor, while Jakob stumbles over him into the corner, still clearly a bit out of it due to the fall from the turnbuckle to the floor. After a few seconds Jakob pulls himself up and starts to walk towards the set-up ladder but gets cut off by a forearm from Akira Kobayashi, prompting a mixed reactions from a crowd that, while still fond of Akira, seem firmly behind Jakob Azazel. Jakob stumbles over his own feet as he tries to get away, falling to a knee and grabbing the ladder for support. Akira follows him over, and in a desperate attempt to keep out of Akira's grasp Jakob fires out a superkick which cracks against the side of Akira's head.

Akira starts to lean back but manages to keep on his feet, his legs wobbling back and forth like jelly as Jakob winds up for a second super kick. This time Akira manages to throw his hands up and catch the kick, but as if he was expecting it Jakob jumps up and kicks Akira in the side of the head with his other foot. Jakob pulls himself back up as fast as he can and then immediately drops down low, nailing Akira in the shin with a low dropkick. The force of the kick makes Akira's leg buckle, forcing him down to one knee whilst still dazed and confused thanks to the pair of kicks to the head. Jakob again gets up and this time runs at Akira, steps up onto his knee, wraps a leg over Akira's shoulder, and locks in the shining triangle! With blood still dripping from his nose Jakob squeezes his legs down, trying to choke the life out of Akira and take him out of the match. The crowd is split, with a slight majority cheering on Azazel as he lays on his back, looking up at his opponent as he tries to knock him out cold. After a few seconds Akira gets up off his knees and onto his feet, his face now a dark red. With a heave and a loud grunt Akira hoists Jakob up from the mat, forcing The Warlock to hang down from around his neck using just his leg strength. Akira staggers around the ring for a few steps, eventually coming to the ladder which Dante had previously used to almost grab the belt now folded up on the canvas. As his face turns purple Akira turns to put his back to the ladder, takes a few steps forward, and then falls back, tossing Jakob overhead in a suplex like move that slams him face first into the folded up ladder! As he goes over Jakob releases his grip on Akira, but he doesn't have enough time to throw up his hands and protect himself. Jakob is driven down into the ladder, leaving him crumpled over it like he's just been snapped in half as Akira lies on the mat desperately trying to refill his lungs with air and clear his head.

Cedar: I don't know who came out of that situation worse! Jakob Azazel's skull just bounced off of that steel ladder, but Akira Kobayashi may be unconscious after that shining triangle!

With both opponents down Dante Cross makes his return to the match, sliding a table in under the bottom rope before climbing in after it. He wastes little time in unfolding the table and setting it upright next to the upright ladder before walking across to Akira and Jakob. After laying a boot down into Akira's gut Jakob reaches down and grabs a handful of Jakob's long hair, using it to drag The Warlock across the ring to the table. His sights seemingly set on taking Jakob out of the match for good, Dante lands a series of closed fist punches into Jakob's eye before shoving him onto the table. Dante uses his forearm to club down at Jakob's throat a few times, drawing some boos from the crowd, before making his way over to the folded up ladder left on the mat. Dante hoists it up and unfolds it, setting it up next to the ladder which is already upright. After a trio of punches to Jakob to ensure he stays on the table Dante starts to climb up the two ladders, his back directly to Jakob as he uses both ladders at the same time to give himself a larger platform. The two ladders are just to the right of the hanging belt, meaning that even if he wanted to go for the title Dante would have a tough time manoeuvring himself into the proper position. Just shy of the top of the ladder Dante stops and looks back, making sure he's in proper position to pull off whatever he has planned. Before he has a chance to jump onto Jakob Dante is interrupted by Akira Kobayashi scurrying up the other side of the ladders. Dante quickly climbs up the last few rungs to reach the top, allowing him to throw a few elbows down at Akira from the top of the ladder. With Akira stunned Dante reaches down and pulls his opponent further up before draping an arm around his head, setting him up for a superplex style move. The crowd's volume rises in anticipation as the two men jostle on top of the ladder. Trying to avoid taking the huge fall down onto Jakob and the table, Akira fires off a series of uppercuts into Dante's face, managing to break the hold. The crowd's volume reaches a fever pitch as, down below Akira and Dante, Jakob Azazel climbs down off of the table and starts to climb the ladders next to Dante. Dante and Akira continue to trade shots high above the ring, with each blow garnering either a boo or cheer from the crowd depending on who throws it, and in the hailstorm of strikes neither man notices Jakob pulling himself up the ladders until he arrives next to Dante! Jakob grabs the back of Dante's head and shoves it forward, forcing him to headbut Akira. The two victims of Jakob's latest trick both grab the top of the ladders with both hands, trying to avoid falling off, as Jakob pushes Dante to the side, making The Crucifixionist take a few steps down the ladder.

Cedar: At least one of these three men is about to take a fall which might end their career, never mind their chances in the match!

With Akira dazed Jakob drives an elbow into his temple before trying to hook him up for a superplex, just as Dante did. With his opponents perched on two ladders having a tug of war superplex battle Dante Cross takes the only action which would make sense to a man of his state of mind as he rolls out of the ring and grabs another ladder. Jakob manages to lift Akira off his feet a few inches before The Last Warlord of Osaka can break free of the superplex, almost pushing Jakob backwards off of the ladder down through the table. Before Jakob can regain his balance completely Akira nails him with a headbutt directly to the forehead, and this time it's only a wild grab that allows Jakob to hold onto the top of the ladder as his legs go limp. The crowd let out some gasps and "ooo"'s as Jakob Azazel pulls his legs back on to the ladder and Dante Cross sets-up a third ladder next to the two already standing. It's been a good few minutes since Dante first ascended up the ladder to try and finish off Jakob, and still all three man have avoided taking the plunge down through the table, although with Dante Cross now on his own ladder the chances of somebody falling are only rising. Dante reaches the top of his ladder on the same side as Akira, allowing him to punch The Black Heart Warrior in the side of the head as he focuses on the dazed Jakob. The punches from Dante take Akira off guard, and soon he is being forced to try and shimmy away from Dante, putting a ladder between the two men. With Azazel still focused only on holding onto the metal bars to make sure he doesn't fall backwards through the table Dante Cross grabs the top of his own ladder, jumps, and plants a kick in Akira's head, making him again shimmy back as far as possible. Akira tries to turn to face Dante, leaving his back towards the outside of the ring. With Akira looking at Dante and trying to protect himself from that direction, Jakob Azazel finds himself with a clear shot at Akira. Quick as a flash he reaches into his sleeves and pulls out a handful of dust of some sort, which he quickly tosses into Akira's face while yelling out some magic words of some sort. The powder hits Akira in the eyes and makes him throw up his hands to try and clear them, leaving Dante Cross a clear opening to leap up and boot Akira in the throat, sending him flying off the ladder down to the outside of the ring! Akira falls backwards from the ladder, over the top rope and onto a pair of tables set-up on the outside, which shatter on impact. A "holy shit" chant once again echoes through the arena from top to bottom as even Dante Cross looks down in shock, as though he's struggling to work out exactly what has happened.

Miles: JESUS!

Cedar: AKIRA KOBAYASHI MUST HAVE FALLEN FIFTEEN FEET THROUGH THOSE TABLES! SOMEBODY GET THAT MAN SOME MEDICAL ATTENTION!

Both Dante and Jakob take a few seconds to balance themselves on the ladders again before they start throwing punches, now both situated on the ladder in the centre of the three. Slowly they start to slog it out, and with Akira seemingly done for the crowd is putting all of their eggs in the Jakob Azazel basket, so to speak. Every punch Jakob throws gets an explosion of cheers, while every one Dante fires back gets a wave of boos. Jakob's nose keeps bleeding as Dante's face starts to well up with bruises thanks to the repeated face shots. Dante manages to gain the advantage with a stiff punch to the eye that throws Jakob off balance, and he follows by clambering up so he's standing on the very top of his ladder. Dante reaches down, grabs Jakob around the waist, and attempts a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of the ladder through the table. Dante's attempt to take out Jakob is halted when The Warlock leans forward and grabs Dante's legs, meaning Dante can't fully flip over. The result is Jakob standing on the ladder, holding Dante in an Alabama slam style position. The crowd explodes in cheers for Jakob, calling for him to destroy Dante, and he obliges by diving backwards. The fans blow the roof off the arena as the two men plummet from the ladder down through the table, smashing it in half when Dante crashes down into it with Jakob on top of him. With "holy shit" seemingly not being enough, a "this match rules!" chant breaks out, and every fan wearing a piece of Jakob Azazel merch and most of the ones who aren't seem to be leaping up and down screaming for The Warlock to try to get up and win. Referee Ryu Sanu can be seen running around inside and outside the ring, throwing up the X sign over all three men who are either barely or not moving. It takes almost twenty seconds, but eventually EMT's with three stretchers come running down the ramp to a chorus of boos from fans who don't want to see the match end without a winner. Azazel is first to stir, getting to one knee then falling on his behind to a chorus of cheers. He uses Dante Cross's motionless body to push himself up, waving off the EMTs who proceed to roll Dante onto a stretcher. Outside of the ring Akira Kobayashi pulls himself up using the apron, and like Jakob Azazel shoves the medical team away before rolling into the ring. Slowly the two men get to their feet and stagger over to the trio of ladders, standing just beneath the belt and both grabbing the same ladder for support. Akira can barely stand up, and while Jakob isn't in the best condition he's clearly doing far better than his opponents. Akira throws a kick up, nailing Jakob in the ribs and forcing him to back off towards the corner. Akira grabs the ladder he is already holding and folds it up before dragging it to the corner opposite Jakob, leaning it up against the turnbuckle. With the ladder set-up Akira rushes across the ring and lands a leaping knee into Jakob's jaw, rattling him and garnering a mixed reaction. Jakob grabs the ropes and refuses to fall down, forcing Akira to grab him and whip him across the ring. Akira follows Jakob by running behind him to the ladder, but The Warlock proves he has one more piece of magic up his sleeve as he runs up the ladder in the corner and flips back, leaping over Akira and sending The Black Heart Warrior face first into the ladder. Akira holds his face as he stumbles away, giving Jakob the chance to land a kick across his his chest. Akira drops down to the mat near the centre of the ring as Jakob tries to catch his breath while looking at the ladder in the corner.

Cedar: The fans were split earlier in this match, but right now every single person in the building seems to be right behind The Warlock!

Jakob leans against the ropes next to the ladder as the crowd cheers for him. At this point Dante Cross has been taken backstage, leaving just two men to fight over the title which remains hanging over the ring. Jakob grabs the ladder and unfolds it, dragging it only a few feet out of the corner. Jakob leans backwards against the ladder, waiting for Akira to try to stand-up again. The Pacific Rim Nightmare holds his head in on hand as he uses the other to push himself up, his head now a mess of pain and the loud cheers echoing throughout the arena. Akira gets to one knee and finds himself to push any further, leaving him completely defenceless as Jakob charges in, steps up, and drives a knee home directly into Akira's forehead. Akira collapses backwards onto his side, one arm still clutching his head as the other lies limp on the mat. Leaving his back to Akira, Jakob ascends the ladder, each step slow and deliberate as the gruelling match starts to take its toll. Jakob gets close to the top of the ladder and slows down for a second, provoking another wave of cheers from the fans which gives him the motivation to keep climbing. Jakob reaches the peak of the ladder, stands up, and then leaps off backwards with a spectacular moonsault. All at once the crowd unleashes a tidal wave of gasps and cheers and Jakob soars through the air down onto Akira, using his body as a battering ram to crush Akira into the canvas. Jakob falls so hard he bounces up off of Akira and then back down, leaving him draped over his opponent as a "holy shit" chant once again rings out throughout the Mandalay Bay Centre.

Miles: Is he batshit crazy?!

Cedar: I don't know, but the XWA fans love it!

If the match a stipulation that allowed a pinfall finish it might have all been over then and there, but thanks to it being a TLC match Jakob is forced to try and pull himself up. The bleeding from his nose has mostly stopped, but The Warlock is clearly in a lot of pain from the moonsault from the ladder as well as his earlier fall. Jakob pushes himself up to his knees, clutching his ribs, and then up to his feet as Akira rolls away to the apron. With the ladder in the corner still set-up Jakob crawls over to the two ladders still stood side-by-side, slightly offset from being beneath the belt. Jakob shoves the one nearest the centre of the ring out of his way, knocking it over, before grabbing the other ladder and dragging it to the centre of the ring. Still on his knees Jakob looks up at the Cruiser-X Championship, and once again the audience roars and cheers him on. Jakob leans against the ladder as he grabs it, his hair now soaked in sweat and draping down over his eyes. Jakob wipes the hair out of his eyes and starts the slow, agonising climb up to the top of the ladder. Half way up Jakob's foot starts to slip, but he grabs a hold of the metal rung in front of him with both hands and forces himself to keep climbing. With Akira still out on the side of the ring Jakob finally reaches the top, only to hear the cheers and roars egging him on be replaced by boos. Jakob looks down to see Dante Cross, sporting tape across his ribs, holding the ladder Jakob knocked over. Dante is on the apron by the turnbuckle, next to the ladder which Jakob moonsaulted off of, and while still holding the ladder starts to ascend the corner. Jakob reaches up and tries to grab the belt as Dante starts to slide the ladder in his hands between the rungs of the ladder directly in front of him. Jakob's hand touches the belt just as Dante's ladder, now being poked through the ladder in the corner, protrudes out between the top two rungs of Jakob's ladder and hits him in the thighs. Jakob doubles over, grabbing his ladder, as Dante proceeds to climb up the ladder in the corner. Both Dante and Jakob are atop ladders, and the third ladder has now created a bridge of sort between the two. Jakob looks up at the belt then glances down at Dante, who is now stood on the ladder bridge.

Cedar: What in the hell is he doing?

Instead of trying to wrestle the championship down Jakob also starts to cross the ladder bridge. Jakob and Dante both stop about of a third of the way across, at which point Dante playfully jumps up and down a bit, making the ladder wobble and shake. Jakob throws his arms out to catch his balance, at which point Dante steps in and throws a forearm into his face. Jakob quickly responds with two elbows using alternating arms, knowing that while he's weaker than Dante he's still faster and has the fans behind him. Dante recoils back a few steps, so Jakob follows up with a quick flurry of slaps and then a double palm strike. Once again Dante stumbles back, getting dangerously close to his own ladder as the crowd cheers for Dante to finish him off. Dante tosses out a right hook, hitting Jakob in the eye but not doing much to stop him shimmying further across the ladder bridge towards his opponent. Jakob throws another double palm strike, forcing Dante to move backwards until he's not stood on the bridge, just the top of his own ladder. Dante throws up his hands to protect his face, but it proves futile as Jakob nails him in the gut with a front drop kick, landing perfectly on the ladder bridge as Dante flies backwards off the structure, over the turnbuckle, and through a pair of tables set-up outside the ring! The crowd explodes as the tables shatter beneath Dante's bodyweight, and this time it appears that The Crucifixtionist is well and truly out of the contest. Jakob lies on the bridge with one leg dangling off, trying to rub the sweat off of his brow as "AZ-AZ-EL" chants fill his ears. As Jakob starts to lift his leg to pull it back onto the ladder Akira Kobayashi slides into the ring armed with a chair, having evidently waited out the brawl up on top of the ladders. Akira swings the chair up, nailing Jakob's hanging right leg to a chorus of boos. Jakob sits up, but in his haste gets his other leg tangled in the ladder, giving Akira two more free shots before Jakob can get up to safety. Akira tosses down the chair and gets out onto the apron, allowing him to climb onto the corner and then the ladder in front of it. With Akira approaching the "AZ-AZ-EL" chants only get louder, as at this point the crowd is so behind Jakob they clearly see Akira as as much of an antagonist to their chosen protagonist as Dante was. Akira reaches the top of the ladder as Jakob gets up to his knees, wincing in pain as he struggles to stay balanced on the bridge. Akira calmly stands up, looking down at The Warlock, who beckons for him to come on. Akira steps forward and grabs Jakob's hair, trying to pull him up. Proving that he very literally has one last trick up his sleeve Jakob closes his eyes and throws what looks like a red fireball up into the air between himself and Akira, creating a bright flash which instantly burns Akira's eyes.

Cedar: The Warlock's still in this one!

Using one hand to shield his eyes Akira throws out a knee as Jakob frantically tries to wrestle his hair free, taking a strike directly to his temple as he tries to escape to grab the belt. Jakob's resistance is finally stopped when Akira takes his hand away from his eyes and throws an uncharacteristic closed fist punch which lands on Jakob's jaw. Jakob goes limp slightly, leaning over and grabbing the ladder bridge beneath him. To more boos Akira lifts Jakob up by his hair with both hands, forcing him to balance himself on the ladder bridge in front of Akira or else fall off down into the ring. Akira releases Jakob's hair to grab his arm, pulling it down behind him while putting one of his own arms over Jakob's shoulder to set-up his trademark wrist-clutch exploder suplex. Jakob tries to struggle for one last time, but is immediately suplexed overhead by Akira Kobayashi. Jakob lands head and neck first on the ladder bridge, which starts to crack and dent from the impact as soon as Jakob's skull crashes into the hard metal. The crowd cheers loudly, unable to boo such a brutal and visually pleasing move despite how much they wanted Jakob to win. With Dante Cross once again being carried out on a stretcher, and Jakob Azazel now laid on his side in the sagging portion of the ladder bridge, Akira Kobayashi is unopposed as he crawls across the bridge, pushes up to his feet and grabs the belt down, winning the match!

Cedar: He's done it! After one of the most high risk TLC matches I've ever had the pleasure and seeing, Akira Kobayashi has captured the Cruiser-X Division title!

As the bell rings Akira descends the ladder, jumping off two-thirds of the way down and falling down to a seated position on the mat as "Stay Here" by Swans booms out through the speakers. As Ryu Sanu raises Akira's hand the crowd's displeasure becomes even more clear, and Akira Kobayashi's scowl shows that he's not happy at the reaction to his first title win. Without saying a word Akira rolls out of the ring, carrying his new belt in one hand as he keeps his head down and limps up the ramp, not even pausing to look at the crowd who are once again chanting for Azazel.